


Restless

by Amarilly (Tookbaggins)



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Gen, Premium Heart: a Tifa Lockhart zine, Zine piece, set pre game when Tifa hasn’t lived in Midgar long
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-14
Updated: 2020-05-14
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:01:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,651
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24175516
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tookbaggins/pseuds/Amarilly
Summary: Tifa never slept well beneath the plate, she was too used to the quiet nights of her childhood home.A piece written for the Tifa-centric Zine Premium Heart.
Kudos: 7





	Restless

Tifa was still not used to night in Midgar. It was loud. The lights never dimmed. She didn’t have to leave the tiny room she’d rented to know the claustrophobic feeling she had would not leave her. She hadn’t minded so much at first. Even in sleepless nights when the drunks shouted beneath her window and the far off pop of gunfire bounced through the sector, the calming presence of Zangan had sheltered her from feeling too alone. Neither of them liked it there, but there was no home to return to and they had made do as well as they could. It had been grounding for her to have some connection to home in this miserable place. It was something at least. 

But he was gone. That very morning he had folded what little he had into a bag, bid her good luck, and left. She didn’t ask where he was going. He would have told her if he’d wanted her to know. He hadn’t. 

She flinched, startled as a loud scream sounded beneath her window. Someone likely getting mugged, or worse. She didn’t think very hard about it. That was life here. If she couldn’t directly do something about it she didn’t worry about it too deeply. At least, she tried not to. 

There would be no sleep tonight. She sighed and sat up, groping around for her boots. She pulled them on by feel and checked her pockets for money. She didn’t keep a lot on her normally but it was enough to stop at any of the little shops around this sector. It was little enough that she wouldn’t be in a bad way if it was taken from her. They’d have a hell of a time trying to get it. The thought buffered her confidence, lifting her head a little higher as she left and followed the stairs as they snaked around the building. There were times that Midgar had scared her, especially at first. The noise, the violence, everything was so different and hard. The longer she stayed, however, the more things she had noticed. The families that managed to make their homes warm and welcoming. The couples laughing beneath the neon lights. People were still living, still dreaming in this dark place. There was life amid everything else. 

She smiled, glancing around her. Always watching, always aware. That was how she was now. Even if she weren’t in Midgar Zangan had ingrained the practice in her and it had served her well over the past few years. Whoever had been making the racket that pulled her from bed had moved on. There was no one in the immediate vicinity. She tugged at her gloves, double checking their fit as she set off. The path meandered through piles of debris, in place for so long that the dead earth had settled around them. The dingy yellow light was a constant and she followed its glow toward the next sector. 

Wall Market was a little better than the rest of the lower level, as far as she had seen. At least here there were shops. Some of them were less savory than others but she avoided those. More than anything here she frequented the small diner - she paused in front of it thoughtfully before moving on - and there was the bar past the main stretch of the market. It was what she preferred, less closed in and with a slower atmosphere. It was almost relaxing. Almost. 

A few people glanced at her as she came in and she stared levelly back at them. They took the hint and went back to their business. She took a seat at the bar next to a man staring silently at the television. She ordered a beer and followed his gaze. The large man on the screen was becoming more and more familiar to her. She knew of Shin-Ra, Inc, everyone did but it was only in Midgar that she saw images of the man himself. That rat spoke from a podium, a smug sneer cast at the news crew. Tifa’s hand clenched into a fist, the leather glove creaking. It would be so satisfying to feel her knuckles connect with his fat face.. 

“Not a fan?” It was the man next to her. She whipped her head around to narrow her eyes at him. He grinned and held his hands up placatingly, leaning away a little. “Sorry! Did I startle you? I didn’t mean to. I could just feel the tension radiating off you.”

“What do you want?”

“I’m not a fan either. But I doubt anyone down here is.” He caught the beer the bartender sat in front of him and passed it to Tifa, waving his hand for another. She eyed it unsurely. “You seem especially angry, though. Why is that?”

“It’s personal.”

“It always is, isn’t it?” He sighs. “Someone’s father dies in a reactor accident. Their brother gets on the wrong side of a soldier. Their child is taken by Turks…” he shakes his head, taking the new bottle that appeared before them and standing. “A lot of people are hurting, and they’re angry about it.” He looked at her, appraising something about her. “Come sit with us.”

“Us?”

“The other angry people. The ones who are doing something about things.” He left her. Hesitant, Tifa watched him go to a table in the corner, joining a girl who was bent over the table and fiddling with something small in her hands. He set the extra bottle down and the girl lifted her head and looked toward Tifa. This was a little shady. Something about them just felt...intriguing. Intriguing? She chastised herself mentally, knowing better as she stood and picked up her drink. There were dangerous people in Midgar, and talk could be just as dangerous. They didn’t seem too bad, though, and her curiously got the best of her as she approached their table. The girl smiled and kicked a chair out for her. 

“Made up your mind, huh? I’m not surprised. Biggs isn’t the best at recruiting but he gets attention pretty well.”

“She came over, didn’t she? I count that as a success.” He grinned. “Like she said, the name’s Biggs. She’s Jesse.”

“Tifa.” She sat in the chair they’d meant for her, clutching at her bottle as she looked between them. Jesse was giving her that same appraising look Biggs had earlier. “So, what’re you two doing?”

“Having drinks?” Jesse raises an eyebrow; looking at Tifa as if she were a little slow. 

“No, Jess. She wants to know what we’re doing.”

“Oh!” Jesse flushed and chuckled, brushing at her bangs. “Right, sorry. Tifa was it? There have been some...attacks lately. You know, around the different sectors. You’ve heard about it, right?” Tifa nodded, unsure where this was going. There was a lot of unrest around the city but normally people kept their heads down, not wanting to receive attention during high tension times. She wasn’t sure how she felt about the various methods but at least someone was doing something. 

“I have. It was.. I don’t remember the name exactly. They seem pretty dangerous.”

“But they’ve got good reasons behind it, don’t you think? This Avalanche group.” Biggs leaned toward her, his voice dropping. “Maybe the methods need work, but they’re doing their best to be a thorn in Shin-Ra’s side.”

“Hell yeah they are.” Jesse drained her beer, bringing back the small part she’d been fiddling with. Tifa saw that it was a switch of some kind. Grinning at the attention, Jesse held it up between them. “This sends a current through wires and.. well. It can do a lot.”

“Jess.”

“Sorry.” She glanced at him and slid it quickly into her glove, her eyes sliding away from Tifa. “Got big plans for it, though.”

“Jesse-“

“What kind of plans?” They were dancing around something, that much was obvious. Tipping back in her chair a little, Tifa drained her bottle and sat it down hard, giving them both a level look. “I can tell that you want to talk about something but you’re not sure if it can be me.” They both straightened in their seats and looked at each other. “You’re being kind of obvious about it. It’s okay. I’m not exactly from here. Whatever you want to tell me...well I don’t exactly have anyone to tell it to anymore. It’ll be safe with me.”

“Wow. That’s uh, astute.” With a small hum Jesse leaned on her hand, her eyes closing. “You’re right, though. I mean we hang out here a lot but we are on the lookout for new people.”

“Who’s we? The two of you?”

“Avalanche.” They fell quiet. Biggs said it casually but the two of them suddenly seemed guarded, clearly unsure how she would react. Really, she couldn’t blame them. What a dangerous admission to make. Even in the slums, where there would be more support than animosity, a single pair of the wrong ears hearing an association like that could be trouble. Biggs and Jesse didn’t look at her, their eyes trained tensely on their bottles. It made more sense, the way Biggs had honed in on her anger, moving to the table away from the more active bar. They were trying to recruit her. 

Tifa drew a deep breath, her mind racing as she leaned forward to set her elbows on the table. This sort of thing would get them killed, most likely. But the chance to be a real thorn in Shin-Ra’s side.. it would be worth it. And she didn’t really have anyone that would miss her anymore, now that Zangan has gone. If something happened to her he probably wouldn’t even know…

Tifa straightened, her chin lifting as a confident smile lit her face. “I see. So do we have a plan for our next move?”


End file.
